Perceived stress and mental health during the pandemic of COVID-19: an examination of Taiwanese police officers

PurposeThis study aims to examine Taiwanese male and female police officers' perceived stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachData were analyzed based on surveys conducted with 1,671 officers in various cities and counties between May and July of 2021, during the period of level 3 alert of COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan.FindingsIt was found that officers who perceived poor inter-agency coordination and higher risk of infection, and those who were assigned to home quarantine duty and stationed in the metropolitan areas of Taipei, which suffered the worst spread of infected cases, were more likely to exhibit a higher level of stress. On the other hand, police identity, COVID-19 self-legitimacy, supervisor support, COVID-19 information and adaptive emotion regulation were found to be associated with an enhanced level of mental health.Research limitations/implicationsThe surveys were conducted at the beginning of the community outbreak. Given the cross sectional nature of the data, the findings may not reflect officers' mental health at different phases of the pandemic.Originality/valueSuch study can add a cross-national perspective that can be utilized to generalize about policy perspectives related to police mental health at times of health crises, such as COVID-19 pandemic.